Voice For Liberty

Tag: Liberty

  • Purpose

    I received this fine article from Al Terwelp of Overbrook, Kansas, and he agreed to let me publish it here.

    Our nation is in crisis. It has become very difficult to see the right direction out of our predicament. We are overwhelmed with opinions, viewpoints, and expressions of good intention regarding solutions. I caution placing hopes and beliefs in these. We need to refrain from placing confidence in people and government as well. Opinions are based on our own selfish interests, bias and judgments, are weak, aimless and lead to confusion. Viewpoints often become more harmful to truth than lies. I believe we begin by choosing the message not its sponsor, then use understanding and courage to draw out a purpose that will reveal who we are, what we should be and where we need to go.

    Purpose has, but is not restricted to, requirements, considerations, and reasons for which something will be done. Purpose is conviction combined with an unshakable belief that it is not only undoubted but has evidence and logic proving its truth. Truths that become the thought, motivation and destination of the truth seeker.

    The purpose we need references the entire antecedent knowledge and experience of the human race with the understanding of causality, deductive reasoning, human action, subjective motivation and the guidance of divine inspiration. True purpose is a means and ends simultaneously (ex. economic freedom). It is found in its choosing, action, conduct and display of will. Purpose exists in the values and the rankings placed by the people. Resolution pursues principle and does not find success in compromise, favoritism, and conspiring alternative motives. It expects accountability and responsibility with the intent that all risk is real. However, the purpose we need would be most identifiable by how it works and travels in the same, constant, never-ending direction.

    The pursuit I speak of is the redemption of the vision and ideology that was given us as an example by our country’s founding fathers with an objective to create maximum freedom for Americans in all applications. Our motivation needs to be one that guarantees choice, leverage, ownership, partnership, and opportunity for each person. This cause propagates the interests of people, not the expansion of and excessive dependence on government. It is a philosophy of individualism over egalitarianism and collective creeds (it does not choose to make all people equal or the same). Lastly, this ambition seeks the protection of the sacredness of personal property and the expansion of the essential human qualities — natural rights and self-determination.

    The perception is that we the people are weak because so many remain apathetic and distracted and that government and their elitist cohorts are strong. However, this would be misleading, for through government’s many failures we witness truth of its weakness. With purposeful action and faith in the truth of liberty, we are fearless, we are strong, we have a point of compass. Purpose fortifies us in a spirit of resilience, satisfies our uneasiness and advances our resolve to struggle all the harder. The question we need to ask ourselves in our current struggle is not — will these economic times move us into a second great depression and for how long? It is — will we be a republic with free-will, free-markets, capitalism, privacy and human rights on the other side? So let us go about liberty’s work, for freedom acts. Let us not hope and wait for freedom’s redemption, let us pursue its purpose and plan for it.

    Al Terwelp is an advocate of liberty and Austrian economics. He is a farm owner, arborist and an art director in advertising (yes, odd combination). He is a member of the Campaign for Liberty, member of North East Libertarian Party (LNEK) and new Spokesman of the Kansas Libertarian Party. He lives near Overbrook, KS with his wife and son.

  • Activist Training to be Held in Wichita

    On Saturday February 28, American Majority and Americans For Prosperity will hold Special Joint Activist Training In Wichita, KS. Here’s more information from American Majority:

    The training will be hosted by American Majority and AFP — Kansas, who will be presenting exclusive training to enable common citizens to make a difference in their communities by using tools of information, resources, and by networking with other like-minded individuals and organizations.

    The training will be hosted at the Wichita AFP office at 800 E. 1st Street, Ste. 401 in historic Old Town in Wichita, KS.

    Presentations that will be offered include:

    • Building Coalitions, Reaching Your Community, and Organizing Meaningful Events
    • Holding Your Elected Officials Accountable
    • Getting Involved in State and Local Political Campaigns
    • New Media: Op-Eds, Blogs, Wikipedia Projects and more

    Breakfast and lunch will be served and the cost for each attendee is $10.00.

    Learn more about this event and register at this link: Special Joint Activist Training In Wichita, KS

  • Annoyed by Anti-Annoyance Law

    Here’s Paul Jacob‘s commentary for today.

    I’m annoyed by a new law passed in the Michigan town of Brighton City.

    According to the ordinance, police may fine anyone who is too annoying in public. Up to $500. The ordinance states: “It shall be unlawful for a person to engage in a course of conduct or repeatedly commit acts that alarm or seriously annoy another person and that serve no legitimate purpose.”

    Obviously, many different things annoy many different people, most having little to do with the possible or actual commission of a crime.

    If you and I are annoyed, think about how annoyed the folks are who actually live there. One resident, Charles Griffin, told ABC News that the new law is “the most ridiculous thing in the world.”

    Area resident Chetly Zarko has written to the council asking them to repeal the law, arguing that it is “unconstitutionally vague … and impedes on free expression rights under the First Amendment.”

    Council members say critics are blowing things out of proportion. They say people aren’t going to be ticketed for talking too loud or making complaints to public officials, but for things like persistent harassment of an ex-girlfriend or the like.

    But words mean what they say, don’t they? They don’t mean what they would have meant if only you had said what you meant.

    In the spirit of being careful with words, let me revise my opening statement: I am more than merely annoyed.

    This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

    The link to the commentary is Annoyed by Anti-Annoyance Law . Links to Chetly Zarko’s coverage are Brighton City Council Annihilates First Amendment and Brighton City Council in Full Spin After our FOIA – Livingston Argus and Radio Cover Us.

  • Kathleen Sebelius State of the State 2009: Collectivism Lite

    In Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius‘ 2007 State of the State address collectivism was the theme: “Only a failure to act as ‘One Kansas’ can compromise our future and dash our hopes.” As shown in my post The Collectivism of Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, this drive towards collectivism is a threat to liberty and the individual.

    This year, her State of the State speech was not so heavily-laden with collectivist themes. But they’re still there.

    She reminded members of the legislature of the “heavy burdens can be lifted when all of our hands lift together.”

    To the people, she said “Let us come together, as we have in the past, to find common ground and to work for the common good.”

    Perhaps invoking president-elect Obama’s recent speech, she promoted the role of government: “Ultimately, the role of government is to use our collective resources to do what individuals cannot do alone.”

    “In all of our endeavors, we recognize that jobs and capital are best expanded in the private sector. But without resources and workers from government, the massive undertakings needed to promote the common good would likely fail.” I don’t think she really values private sector jobs over government jobs. For many years of her term, most of the job growth in Kansas was in government.
    “Working together, we can succeed.” … “Yes, these are difficult times and we face difficult decisions, but by working in a bi-partisan fashion we’ll once again find answers and experience success.”

    Fortunately the “One Kansas” theme is gone, but collectivism remains the goal in Kathleen Sebelius’ Kansas.

  • In Wichita, 300 citizens rally for free markets and limited government

    AFP Defending the American Dream Summit in Wichita 2009-10-10

    Yesterday (January 10, 2009) Americans For Prosperity held a Defending the American Dream Summit in Wichita. After the event I spoke to Alan Cobb, who just stepped down as AFP’s Kansas state director to become AFP’s national director of state operations.

    I asked Cobb how many people attend this event. “We had over 300. It’s the largest event we’ve had.” He added that everyone seemed to love the event.

    I mentioned to Cobb about how the national press portrays the current financial crisis as a failure of capitalism and free markets. In fact, Jonah Goldberg, one of the speakers, said he feels a little weird be at a free market forum with what’s going in in Washington now. Was it a failure of free markets that caused the current crisis?

    “No, of course not. It seems ironic when they talk about the banking industry failing, as it is one of the most regulated industries of all. It was government policies that partly caused at least part of the problem with sub-prime mortgages. It’s a constant theme, and it leads to the New New Deal, which was discussed several times today.”

    I mentioned how lawmakers tell us that they’re often surprised at how little personal communication they receive from citizens in their districts. (They get a lot of communication from lobbyists and interested parties outside their districts.) What does this mean about the impact the average person can have on the legislative process?

    “It means they obviously can have a tremendous impact, when sometimes five or six phone calls is an avalanche.” He went on to remark that people enjoy coming to grassroots meetings like the one today, but they wonder what they can really do, as they believe that politicians never listen to them. But there are many examples, he said, of where the voices of citizen activists have made a difference.

    I asked what are some of the most important local-level grassroots activists can do to advance the cause of liberty and free markets?

    “Two primary things: One is to recruit. Get other people involved, whether it’s in AFP or another free market group. The second is to stay engaged and don’t give up.”

  • Americans for Prosperity — Kansas to hold second Defending the American Dream Summit

    Event to kick off 2009 Kansas Legislative Session

    TOPEKA — The free-market grassroots group Americans for Prosperity-Kansas will hold its second statewide Defending the American Dream Summit in Wichita Saturday, January 10, 2009, just two days prior to the start of the 2009 Kansas Legislature.

    “This event will serve as a kick-off for the new legislative session,” said Americans for Prosperity-Kansas state director Derrick Sontag. “Going into the 2009 Legislature, we see an opportunity to help change the way elected officials seem to view their obligations to taxpayers, and how our state budgets its funds.”

    The event, held at the Beech Activity Center in Wichita, will focus on state spending, tax policy and grassroots activism. Confirmed speakers include National Review Online editor and “Liberal Fascism” author Jonah Goldberg; The Wall Street Journal’s Stephen Moore; author Dr. Gregory Schneider; incoming Kansas House Speaker Mike O’Neal and others, including state senators Susan Wagle (R-Wichita) and Chris Steineger (D-Kansas City). The group will also hear from other elected officials as well as local grassroots activists.

    “We hope to show legislators and elected officials that their constituents will be paying attention to what happens in Topeka during the next few months,” said Sontag. “And we certainly will encourage legislators to focus on reducing spending where appropriate, rather than asking Kansas taxpayers to carry the burden.”

    For more information, call Jen Rezac at 785-354-4237.

    To register to attend the summit, visit defendingthedream.org/KS/.

  • Arkansas Democrat-Gazette publishes editorial in Paul Jacob’s defense

    From FreePaulJacob.com

    A super editorial appeared in yesterday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, defending Paul (and, more generally, the First Amendment) and calling AG Drew Edmondson a “zealot” and “a bully with considerable power, a high state office, and more ambition than respect for the rights of others.”

    The Sunday lead editorial read in part:

    This indictment has been hanging over the heads of Paul Jacob and those helping him garner signatures for a year. If convicted, they would have faced 10 years in prison for the heinous crime of taking part in American politics. Now they’ve been freed at last, or certainly should be in a free country. This indictment should be quashed; it should never have been filed in the first place. As the Tenth Circuit now has indicated.

    But no right is safe unless citizens are willing to exercise and defend it. For there will always be Drew Edmondsons around to challenge rights they don’t care for, and not even the Constitution of the United States, for all its virtues, is selfenforcing. Only citizens willing to fight for their rights, and courts able to enforce its letter and spirit, can keep the Constitution alive.

    The bad news is that General Edmondson may pursue his prosecution/ persecution of Paul Jacob even after this appellate ruling. His official spokesman says Oklahoma’s attorney general will appeal the Tenth Circuit’s decision. But at least now he’ll have the First Amendment to contend with. Paul Jacob, who once again has stood up for the rights of all Americans, deserves congratulations. Also, thanks and respect.

    Read the entire editorial here.

  • Steve Moore of The Wall Street Journal to Speak in Wichita

    A message from Alan Cobb of Americans for Prosperity:

    I’m pleased to announce that Steve Moore, of The Wall Street Journal will be joining Jonah Goldberg, syndicated columnist of National Review Online and best selling author of Liberal Fascism, and Speaker of the House Mike O’Neal on January 10th in Wichita at the Defending the American Dream Summit.

    Steve Moore is on the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal, is a frequent guest on Fox News, and recently co-authored the book, The End of Prosperity: How Higher Taxes Will Doom Our Economy- If We Let It Happen with economist Arthur Laffer. He’ll be joining Americans for Prosperity to speak about the current financial crisis and explain what we can do to secure freedom and economic prosperity in the future.

    Steve Moore is a great writer and speaker. One of his best columns was the subject of my post The Decline of Local Chambers of Commerce.

    This summit should be a great event. Learn more about it and sign up in the post Jonah Goldberg to Speak at Kansas Summit.

  • Jonah Goldberg to Speak at Kansas Summit

    Here’s a message from Alan Cobb of Americans For Prosperity.

    I’m pleased to announce that Jonah Goldberg, syndicated columnist of National Review Online and best selling author of Liberal Fascism will be joining us on January 10th in Wichita.

    Register today for Kansas’ second Defending the American Dream Summit, America’s foremost free-market voices, top experts on grassroots mobilization, and Kansas’ largest gathering of grassroots leaders from across the state in a massive show of force for our shared belief in lower taxes and more limited government.

    Registration is $39, and includes breakfast, lunch and admission to our general session of speakers.

    Confirmed Speakers Include:

    Jonah Goldberg, Syndicated columnist, National Review Online, author of Liberal Fascism

    Mike O’Neal, Kansas Speaker of the House

    Greg Schneider, Author of the newly published Conservative Century and Senior Fellow — Flint Hills Center for Public Policy

    Susan Wagle, State Senator, former Speaker Pro-tem of the Kansas House

    Professor Steven Ware, Author of Selection to the Kansas Supreme Court

    Dave Trabert, President, Flint Hills Center for Public Policy, reforming the Kansas property tax

    Chris Steineger, Kansas State Senator

    Click here to register for this event.